Holland Bath & Spa

Serving clients in Maryland, Washington D.C., and Virginia

Micro-Mosaics

Micro-Mosaic Technique

Micro-mosaic refers to a technique of creating mosaic artwork using tiny stones of 1/4" diameter or smaller. The small sizes allow for an incredible level of detail not otherwise reached using mosaics of standard size. This technique is especially suited to artwork where an image originally created in another medium (a painting, a photography or another type of still image) is transposed to a mosaic art format.

Case Study 1: Chariot Racing

Inspiration

The idea for the mural came from the "Chariot Racing" at 1882 painting by Alexander Von Wagner currently at display at the Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester, UK.

Strike-Off

To make sure the clients would be fully satisfied with the final mural, we first created an 18"x18" sample for approval. The complete work would be contingent on our clients' sign-off.

The Wall Preparation

The curved walls were framed and covered with Schluter Kerdi-Board-V, a grooved substrate panel designed to create curved elements. From there, we skim coated the surfaces using a customized screeding radius guide, for a perfectly rounded surface ready to receive the mural.

The Installation

The mural was assembled off-site, then rolled up and transported to the job site where it was split into manageable sections and installed, grouted and sealed.

The Final Mural

Accommodating a double showerhead, two floating benches and a pair of shampoo niches, the mural became the focus point of this walk-in curbless shower flanked by four classic columns.

The shower measures 7 ft x 7 ft with a radius wall and four flanking columns

Adjustable, 95 CRI (Color Rendition Index) recessed lights and under-seat accent lighting bring the mural and other features to life

Two floating benches and two shampoo niches provide functionality for simultaneous use by two people

Just inside the columns, a continuous linear drain covered by mosaic tiles run from wall to wall

The rubber bronze brackets have hooks that engage a steel mounting plate behind the backerboard, resulting in a clean installation with no visible fasteners; the seat top does not touch the wall allowing water and light to run freely behind

Project Description
The project objectives and challenges were daunting, so our approach was equally daring:

1. To make room for a ten-foot wide mosaic mural interpretation of the “Chariot Racing” painting by Alexander Von Wagner, a masterpiece beloved by the homeowners, we had to transform the existing square shower into a seven-foot perfectly rounded corner, flanked by four classic columns.

2. To keep water from running out of the three-side open shower, we needed a unique linear drain system of site-adjustable lengths and which ends could meet each other at 135 degrees, following the contour of the shower, providing a wall-to-wall barrier against flooding.

3. To accommodate seating areas without causing diversion from the mural as the main attraction of the shower, we looked out for two floating benches (hers and his) with such neutrality that would not even touch the walls or floors. Plus, the benches needed to perfectly fit the materials and finishes of the remaining of the shower.

Description of Tile/Stone
The micromosaic mural was created with a variety of natural stones to represent the character of the original painting. The solid marble surfaces (shower seats, entry saddles and shampoo niche surrounds) were custom fabricated in 3 cm polished Santorini. All the other dimensional stone, mosaic and trims come in Premium Honey Onyx.

Case Study 2: Fish Pompeii

Inspiration

During a trip to Pompeii's famous buried floor mosaics, our clients felt in love with the mosaics depicting the sea life shown below, and requested us to adapt it to fit their new kitchen's backsplash:

Design

Through several steps of Photoshop work, we created a composition to the scale and proportion of the kitchen backsplash:

Execution

We then transposed the digital artwork into micro-mosaic form in the shop, and brought it to install, grout and seal on site: